Should I read it? Yes, if you're a fan of comedic fiction. Immortal is quirky, absurd and probably good for readers who want a light read. If you enjoShould I read it? Yes, if you're a fan of comedic fiction. Immortal is quirky, absurd and probably good for readers who want a light read. If you enjoy Douglas Adams' style of humor and don't mind reading a full book of it, you're likely to enjoy Doucette's work.

What's the short and skinny of it? Adam is immortal but seemingly not invincible. He's unsure of the hows and whys behind his immortality, but he's not overly concerned by them, either. He just is and, for the most part, always has been. For millennia, he's more or less laid low while enjoying his lucky and peculiar mix of disease immunity and sterility, as well as his love for (mainly) women and alcohol. Now, in the present, life is going on (and on and on and on) as usual; that is, until someone discovers his secret.

Tell me more.While this book is nowhere near being poorly written, I wasn't personally been able to finish it. It should be noted that the official summary is misleading, and this is the single biggest reason I give this three stars (outside of having not been able to read the whole book). I may try to come back to it in the future, and therefore may change my rating, but I'm putting it aside for now.

I gave this book a shot, because part of the official summary--"...a world without actual magic. It is a contemporary fantasy for non-fantasy readers and enthusiasts alike."--appealed to me. I'm a science fiction and fantasy lover, but I appreciate when logical (or at least semi-logical) explanations are given for the more unbelievable bits in a story; fantasy without any logic can be very off-putting. Given the summary, I expected a somewhat subdued fantasy or at least one that gave explanations for its fantastical elements. Unfortunately, Doucette introduces one fantastical creature after another (genies, vampires, dragons, pixies, demons, etc.), with little to no explanation for any of them. Immortal is comedic fiction with many absurd elements, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what I was expecting and wanting to read.

On the positive end, this has to be one of the most quotable books I've come across in a long time. I'm not a huge fan of humor novels, as I tend to like my humor in small doses, but there are some truly hilarious paragraphs in this book that I was quick to share with friends. Readers who consider Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy one of their favorite books will probably like the style of Immortal, even if they explore some very different topics.

In many ways, this is just one of those cases where the book is the wrong fit for me personally. Some will really enjoy it, but don't be fooled by the summary. Doucette's story is for those who enjoy longer comedic works and the more traditional, no-explanation-required fantasy. If you're not in either of those categories, you might want to give this one a miss or at least proceed with caution.

========================================Quotes From the Book(Apply your own positive/negative connotations.)========================================

I was suicidal for two solid centuries once. That was during the early part of what they now call the Dark Ages, in medieval Europe. Suicidal tendencies were de rigueur at the time, and I’m nothing if not trendy.

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But yes, I do see women. Men too, at one time. I spent about a century and a half as a homosexual. It ended up being far too much work, so I didn’t keep it up. (You never really appreciate women until you’ve tried pleasing another man. Just trust me.)

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My trump card was always time, especially in an era when the life expectancy was somewhere in the mid-forties. Most of the town thought I’d made some sort of pact with a deity—a few thought I WAS a deity—but nobody ever organized a lynch mob over it. Carthage was nice like that....more